Shogun, the new show from FX, has already become one of the biggest hits of the year, and the first season is yet to conclude. The premiere ratcheted up over 9 million views, and its popularity is only going up. With Hiroyuki Sanada playing one of the key characters on the show, Disney has hit the jackpot.
As the audience is taken on a journey that sees three plots eventually converge, it has been hailed as the new Game of Thrones. There is a good reason for the comparison too, since it boasts of a rich world filled with political intrigue and thrill with a smattering of gore.
The creators of Shogun believe in the show they have created
Based on the historical novel written by James Clavell in 1975, this is only the second time that the book has been adapted into a television series. Paramount had waded into this rich world for the first time in 1980, which saw Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune in key roles. The show was not very successful, and it took more than 40 years for the next adaptation to film.
As accolades and rave reviews keep pouring in for this new project, the creators, husband and wife Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo, opened up about what it took to make the show. It took 10 years to get the project off the ground, but all the effort and the production delays have paid off.
Moreover, Hiroyuki Sanada played an instrumental role in the success of Shogun. Not only does Sanada don the producer’s hat for the first time, but he also plays Lord Yoshi Toranaga, a powerful feudal lord.
Marks and Kondo joined the team in 2018, and they steered the ship to success. They acknowledged the impact the book had on popular culture since it has inspired so many films and shows. However, they recognized the potential for an intersectional story for television and did not look back.
Kondo and Marks touched upon a very important subject when it comes to adaptations: the source material. More importantly, given the rise of book adaptations for television in the last few years, it is critical to have faith in the source material, a point that the couple drove home during the interview.
“One thing I can say is that when it comes to adaptations, I don’t think you can go into it without truly believing in the source material. You really have to believe in the story you are telling,” said Marks.
The show is already a huge success, and fans are clamoring for a second season. Regardless of the petitions, it leads the HBO hit show in one aspect.
Shogun succeeds where Game of Thrones failed
Game of Thrones was the biggest phenomenon of the last decade. Based on the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin, it was HBO’s biggest hit.
Game of Thrones was helmed by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. While the first few reasons earned rave reviews, as the series ran out of the source material, the showrunners failed to come up with a satisfactory conclusion. The last season was disastrous, and the finale had one of the lowest ratings in the history of television.
Similar to the HBO show, set in medieval times, the new show from FX is set in 17th-century Feudal Japan, with several warring factions. The plot follows the lives of three of its main characters: John Blackthorne, Lord Yoshii Toranaga, and Lady Mariko.
Kondo and Marks are unlikely to face such a dilemma with Shogun. While there might be similarities between them, James Clavell finished the story, while Martin is still in the process of completing it.
